I last saw the mighty metal legends ACCEPT twice on their UK “Blood Of The Nations” tour in 2011, so I was really looking forward to seeing some of the new “Stalingrad” material played live, as well as the classics, at this years Bloodstock. I had interviewed their legendary guitarist Wolf Hoffmann prior to the performance on Friday evening and he told me he couldn’t wait to get out there on stage and play a great metal show – ACCEPT did not disappoint us!

I wanted to get as close to the stage as possible, so along with fellow Metal Shock Finland teammate, Di Parkes, I made it to the second row back from the barrier. From my position, I wasn’t able to see a lot of the crowd, but could certainly hear them and there were many excited metalheads around me waiting for the Teutonic legends to appear.

Metal Hammer’s Alexander Milas walked on stage to introduce the band, to a deafening response from the crowd! Stefan was first on stage, quickly running to his drum kit, again to rapturous cheers, then the rest of the band emerged explosively in front of us.

ACCEPT launched straight into the very heavy “Hung, Drawn And Quartered” and the crowd went crazy, singing along with vocalist Mark Tornillo, who sounded on gravelly top form! Those classic deep backing vocals belonging to ACCEPT sounded perfect with Wolf, Peter and Herman.

Next, we were treated to the title track from the latest album “Stalingrad,” a great song for everyone to chant to, which sounded fantastic! All the band members were totally focused yet relaxed in their performance, like the professionals they are, they actually seemed to be having a great metal ball!

The classic ACCEPT anthem “Restless And Wild” was up next, a relentless metal ear bashing throughout, along with a mixture of plenty of grimaces and smiles at the crowd from Wolf, also lots of smiles and crowd interaction from Peter, frequently waving his hand to incite cheers!

Surrounding me were tons of metal voices, clearly loving the show being performed up on stage, the whole vibe was pure metal and I along with everyone else was loving it.

On stormed ACCEPT through “Breaker,” “Princess Of The Dawn,” “Losers And Winners,” then to “Pandemic” from comeback album “Blood Of The Nations.” All these songs were delivered with the utmost precision from each member of the band, working in total metal harmony together.

To be honest I feel all the songs played during this one hour set (which was not long enough!) were absolute classics and I love them all, but of course “Metal Heart” is one of those up there at the top of the metal tree. The crowd were in fine voice throughout, especially during the solo and Wolf’s latest signature guitar “The Flying Fortress” looked and sounded amazing, its WWII bomber-esque body glinting in the setting sunlight, serenading us all with its solos.

“Teutonic Terror” blasted us all once again with its ferocious onslaught of guitars, mixed with Stefan’s ear shattering drums and Mark’s piercing vocals, what a tune!

Definitely the crowd favourites were the last two of the all too short show, the first being “Balls To The Wall.” One of ACCEPT’s many defining moments in metal history, this track had the crowd in a frenzy, the voices singing and chanting in unison, people jumping around, fists in the air.

Last but definitely not least was “Fast As A Shark,” what an end to a fantastic show! The ACCEPT fans turned crazier than ever and we were almost knocked off our feet amongst the madness! The solo with Herman and Wolf at the front of the stage was flawless and also fascinating to watch the speed and dexterity of their fingers on the fretboard. The band then took their final bow together and guitar picks were thrown into the crowd, Herman going back to his mic stand to fetch more. Stefan was the last to leave the stage after throwing his drumsticks to some lucky fans.

The whole show was a total nonstop blast from start to finish and ACCEPT were on 100% top form, absolutely outstanding, they just seem to get better and better each time I see them play live, if that is possible! The performance from all band members was top class; the way they interacted with each other and the crowd, the execution of the whole show was brought together with their skill and professionalism. If you’re an ACCEPT fan, you know how brilliant the shows are, and in my opinion what contributes to it being such a great metal experience is that the band so obviously enjoy every moment, which shines through every time.

I also spoke to several fans after the show, they all thought that ACCEPT were fantastic and agreed the set should have been longer and look forward to a full UK tour. Lee from Norwich, England commented: “I last saw them ten years ago and they were a lot better tonight, really good! My favourite was “Balls To The Wall.” I saw them at Birmingham before and I’d like to see them tour again.”

Machine Head were one of the headliners at the four-day Bloodstock Open Air Festival in the UK this weekend, playing a 90-minute set on Saturday, August 10. And in case you couldn’t get there, you can watch the whole thing now, below.

SIX MORE BANDS ANNOUNCED FOR SOPHIE STAGE INCLUDING THIRD SOPHIE HEADLINER

Grindcore Supergroup LOCK UP (featuring members of At The Gates, Ex-Dimmu Borgir, Napalm Death and Brujeria), have announced that they will be appearing on the MAIN STAGE at this years BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL.

After the tragic death of original guitarist Jesse Pintado (also of Napalm Death and Terrorizer) in 2006, it seemed that LOCK UP were destined to remain an exciting chapter in extreme metal’s history. However, after an incredible reaction in 2009 at an originally planned one off show, with new recruit Anton Reisenegger on guitar duties, all involved decided there was more still to be done. With latest album “Necropolis Transparent” their filthiest piece of work yet, LOCK UP are set to tear BLOODSTOCK’s main stage a new one at this exclusive festival appearance. Says bassplayer Shane Embury:

“LOCK UP are very, very excited to play bloodstock this year, I think this will be my 4th time as a musician and have always had a great show there and a hell of a lot of fun – a home away from home!”

Taiwanese hard rock superstars CHTHONIC have also announced they will join the RONNIE JAMES DIO stage line up on the Saturday. The release of their album ‘Takasago Army’ in 2011 saw them draw more strongly than ever on their Eastern influences, giving true sense to the words ‘Orient Metal’ – the term the band use to describe their hybrid music style.

The SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE line up continues to grow with a further six bands announced.

French Post-Black Metal outfit ALCEST, are the third headliner to be announced for the Sophie Lancaster Stage, joining ORANGE GOBLIN and ANAAL NATHRAKH. With their unique compositions of music from another world and a ‘KKKKK’ review for their latest album ‘Les Voyages De L’âme’, their creative sound will almost certainly be a highlight for those who witness their set.

“Bloodstock will be our first open air in the UK. We’re extremely glad to play such a famous and amazing festival. UK always has been great for Alcest and we just can’t wait to be there!”

English Black Metallers, WINTERFYLLETH are currently working on their 3rd album, for a 2012 release on Candlelight Records and will follow up their release with an appearance at Bloodstock.

“Winterfylleth are incredibly proud to have been asked to appear at Bloodstock Open Air once again in 2012. Our somewhat ‘last minute’ appearance in 2010 was a pivotal point for propelling us forward up to now, and we appreciate the support that grass roots festivals like Bloodstock provide for up and coming bands, such as we were. It is gratifying to play a festival supported by people who care so much about the music we make and we cannot respect that enough. We’d love to see you bring yourselves, your encouraging spirit and your voices to Catton Hall in August and support this great event. See you all in the summer!”

DEMONIC RESSURECTION areone of the most important bands to have come out of the Indian music scene, and after plans to tour the UK collapsed last year, they are happy to announce their appearance on the Sophie Lancaster Stage.It’s been a long and sometimes arduous 10-year journey for the band, but in June 2010 they won the ‘Global Metal’ award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods, which shows that the journey for Demonic Resurrection, is only just beginning…..

“We were gutted last year when our UK tour got cancelled but we’re stoked to be coming to the UK finally and playing the prestigious Bloodstock Festival. We’ve got a lot of support from our fans in the UK and we can’t wait to play for them and hang out and get to know them. The icing on the cake is that we get to watch some of our idols like Dimmu Borgir, Nile and Behemoth at the festival.”

French quintet HEADCHARGER join the already solid line up with their infectious grooves already spreading all over Europe & their latest album ‘Slow Motion Disease’ set for release 30th April 2012 via XIII BIS Records.

EASTERN FRONT have also been confirmed to bring their unique sound of ‘War Torn Black Metal’ to the Bloodstock Masses. With their second album currently due for release later this year via Candlelight Records, they will no doubt be showcasing some new material.

”Playing Saturday on the Sophie Lancaster stage is a great honour for us and we can’t wait to hit the stage hard and see you all on the front line. The crowds at Bloodstock are true fans of metal and incredible, no wonder then the band line up for 2012 is shaping up to be the best ever!”

And last but not least, ANCIENT ASCENDANT a 4 piece death metal band from Reading/London who are pioneering a fusion of old school principles with modern dynamics and power, are extremely happy to announce their appearance at Catton Hall.

“We are immensely proud to be playing B.O.A not least because it’s
such an institution but also because we’ll be playing alongside some
of our favourite bands. For us it’s a huge step forward in bringing
our vision of death metal to a larger crowd and we are incredibly
excited about showcasing our new material”

At only £115 for a four day ticket with camping included, BLOODSTOCK offers incredible value for money and more exclusive appearances than any other festival.

Bloodstock Open Air have announced that TESTAMENT’s only UK show of 2012 will be the very special guest slot before the Saturday night headliners at this year’s festival. The Bloodstock Open Air 2012 which is scheduled for August 10th-12th at Catton Hall in Walton On Trent, Derbyshire, England.

“Bloodbath Over Bloodstock”, the all-new live DVD from Swedish death metal “supergroup” BLOODBATH, registered the following first-week “Music DVD” chart positions:

Finland: #3
Sweden: #9

“Bloodbath Over Bloodstock” came out on April 25 via Peaceville Records. The deluxe mediabook-packaged set features BLOODBATH‘s August 2010 performance from the Bloodstock festival — one of the U.K.’s leading metal events — consisting of songs from the critically acclaimed “The Fathomless Mastery” (2008) album, as well as other classics and fan favorites. The full package also includes a 16-page booklet and a wealth of extras, featuring bonus footage taken from Germany’s Party.San Open Air festival in 2008 and extensive band member interviews.

“Bloodbath Over Bloodstock” was filmed by The Dark Box, a U.K.-based production company that specializes in providing services for the music industry.